Alan Schwartz is a deaf entrepreneur who is a native of Chicago. At 16 years old, he discovered his love for estate and garage sales. When he moved to Los Angeles years later, he continued his garage and estate sales adventures. He realized that it was something he loved doing and that he would be good at it, so he started holding weekend garage sales.

With these garage sales, he quickly developed a loyal following. This weekend activity in the heart of Hollywood evolved into a famous 24-hour garage sale that lasted 4 days without closing. It became so famous that tour buses would drive by and a few celebrities would visit regularly. When 9/11 happened, his place was the only one open in Hollywood for a brief time. Many people came to the sale to reconnect with others, and the garage sale was featured in a AFI award-winning docudrama written by film students.

Holding these sales for years allowed Alan to hone his sales skills and an eye for design. Later on, Alan and Johnny started Everything Except Sinks Estate Sale Service, an estate sale business, in Los Angeles. Alan and Johnny received great feedback and requests from regular shoppers to start a store. With that, Alan and Johnny also started Just Stuff & Vintage Store in Cathedral City.

Alan had been running Just Stuff & Vintage Store for a year, but he wanted to continue expanding. He started searching for an outdoor venue that would be perfect for a flea market and food fest. Thus, Palm Springs Flea Market and Food Fest was born.